The Greeley Liquor Licensing Authority approved an arts liquor license for the Union Colony Civic Center at 701 Tenth Avenue on Sept. 4, finding the applicant met the needs and desires of the neighborhood but excluding the patio area until the applicant submits revised floor plans and a separate patio application.

The authority’s presiding officer, Judge Gonzales, said the license would be approved “in general” while directing the applicant to correct the First-Floor diagram to show the common wall between the UCCC and the adjacent recreation center and to submit a separate application and drawing if the patio is to be included. “I will approve in general then the license itself,” Judge Gonzales said, and added: “I’ll sign that. Miss Fletcher attached my signature. We’ll get that sent to the state to get that done.”

The application was filed by the City of Greeley to operate an in-house alcohol service at the UCCC, replacing a succession of third-party vendors and a nonprofit that previously provided liquor service. Raymond Lee, Greeley city manager, testified he holds other city liquor licenses including the Ice House, and that fingerprints submitted showed no criminal history. Steven Marquez, manager of the Union Colony Civic Center, described the venue as a performing arts center with two theaters that presents concerts, comedians, Broadway shows, dance and recitals and said the center runs about 150–175 performances per year. Marquez said the venue has used outside vendors in recent seasons but the city now seeks to provide service directly to retain revenue and to standardize guest experience and training.

Marquez described operational controls the UCCC will use if the license is approved: preordering inventory through a distributor, a team of bartenders, locked storage on the second floor and a lockable mobile liquor cage for speed of service. He said three full‑time UCCC staff and assistance from Ice House personnel are scheduled to attend liquor enforcement training provided by the Greeley Police Department on Sept. 16, and that new hires with service responsibilities will receive the same training. “I think it helps enhance the guest experience,” Marquez said of in-house service. He also told the authority that, under a city-run operation, “we now would retain 100% of the net revenues.”

The clerk’s report said the city clerk published notice as required by state and local law and that the city’s liquor licensing administrative review team — including planning, code compliance, building, finance, police and the city attorney’s office — had no concerns. The report noted letters of support were submitted in lieu of a traditional petition; the authority referenced letters from the Doubletree hotel, the Downtown Development Association, the Moxie theater, the Union Colony Civic Center advisory board chair, the City’s parks and recreation director and others. The presiding officer specifically cited the letter from the Moxie as relevant because it is a local live-theater venue that could be affected by competition.

Officials provided a timeline of prior alcohol service at the venue: invoicing indicates Kenny’s Steakhouse provided service as far back as 2010 through 2019; a nonprofit, Backstage Stars, provided service roughly 2023 through June 2024; and Crocspot Catering served from August 2024 until June 2025. Marquez said a sign announcing the licensing hearing was posted on the UCCC’s front-window magnet board on Aug. 19 and that he received no public comments in response; he also submitted compiled sales data from prior vendors but said the table did not include every event.

On operational details, the authority asked how the venue would prevent patrons from taking alcohol out of the licensed area. Marquez said staff and volunteers would be positioned at exits, including the patio gate (which he described as a gated fence about five feet tall), the main entrance and shared hallways; he also proposed implementing a hall monitor and an area for patrons to temporarily leave drinks if needed. The presiding officer said the First-Floor map must be redrawn to clearly exclude the rec center areas and delineate the common wall, and instructed the applicant to submit that corrected diagram before any patio service would be allowed.

Judge Gonzales concluded the record by finding the applicant of good moral character and the neighborhood’s needs and desires met, noting the UCCC’s long history of alcohol service and the absence of reported violations. The authority signed the decision for forwarding to the state, with the patio excluded pending the corrected diagrams and a separate application for patio service.

Documents and conditions identified during the hearing: submission of corrected First-Floor and (if needed) Second-Floor diagrams to show the boundary with the recreation center; separate patio application and drawing if patio service is intended; completion of the city-sponsored liquor enforcement training for relevant staff; and continued adherence to liquor-storage and control measures described by the manager. The clerk will upload the approved application and supporting materials to the state for concurrent review.

No public speakers registered to speak at the open hearing; the clerk reported no calls, emails or complaints had been received concerning the application.